IN THE NEWS - European Union Welcomes Ten New Members

IN THE NEWS - European Union Welcomes Ten New Members
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, May 01, 2004

This is John Dryden with In the News, in VOA Special English.

The European Union now has twenty-five members instead of fifteen. Among the new E-U countries are the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia. So are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Mediterranean¹ islands of Cyprus and Malta.

 
EU expansion celebrations in Wroclaw, Poland
Ireland currently holds the E-U presidency², and organized the welcoming ceremonies on Saturday in Dublin. Negotiations³ for entry began six years ago.

The European Union began in nineteen-fifty as a trade and economic group. The first six members were Germany, France, Italy the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Later, Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Greece and Portugal joined. The other current members are Spain, Austria, Sweden and Finland.

The group now deals with such issues as human rights, environmental protection and job creation. E-U members have been struggling to write a constitution.

The current expansion is the largest yet and creates a single market of four-hundred-fifty-million people. The new members will receive financial help.

Supporters of enlargement say call this a historic chance to unite Europe. They say it will make Europe safer. And they say it could ease expected labor⁴ shortages in E-U markets.

But some officials say it will be difficult for twenty-five countries with different histories and cultures to work together. Eight of the new members formerly⁵ had Communist governments. Most have only limited experience with democratic systems and market economies.

The ten new members are much poorer than the current ones. Their membership will add only about five percent to E-U production.

The new members are angry at restrictions⁶ placed on the movement of workers to wealthier E-U countries. Wealthy countries worry about foreigners looking for jobs and public assistance.

Labor unions and others in countries like Germany with high labor costs worry about job losses. They fear that employers will move jobs to countries where wages are a lot lower.

Wealthier countries are also not happy to have to share their E-U farm support payments. The new members want guarantees they will get their fair share. Their local industries worry about the competition they will now face from other E-U countries.

 
Celebrations in Prague at EU expansion
Romania and Bulgaria are expected to join the European Union in two-thousand-seven. Turkey has attempted for years to join. The issue has divided Europeans. French President Jacques Chirac said this week that Turkey is not ready yet.

Mister Chirac said Turkey probably will not be ready to join for at least ten years. He said Turkey needs to do more to improve its human rights and justice system before it can meet the conditions for membership.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is John Dryden.

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制